China is ordering local officials to stop using threatening slogans to enforce its strict “one-child” policy, state media reported.
The government wants to ban slogans like: “Kill all your family members if you don’t follow the rule” and “We would rather scrape your womb than allow you to have a second child,” the Shanghai Daily said at the weekend.
China, the world’s most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people, introduced the “one-child” policy in 1979.
Despite calls for relaxation, Chinese officials say the policy is still needed, claiming overpopulation threatens the country’s development.
However, the National Population and Family Planning Commission aims to prevent zealous local authorities from offending the public or worsening social tensions with “nasty” slogans, the newspaper said.
Several referred to forced sterilization, with one slogan reading: “If you don’t have your tubes tied, your house will be demolished.”
“Once you are captured, your tubes will be tied. Should you escape, we’ll hunt you down. If you attempt suicide, we’ll offer you either the rope or a bottle of poison,” another read.
The newspaper gave no indication of where the slogans were used.
China, under a 1980 policy designed to control its population, permits most couples to have only one child, an approach critics charge is backed by forced sterilizations and abortions.
Some experts say the “one-child” policy has turned into a demographic time bomb as the population ages, storing up huge economic and social problems for the country, as well as fostering a gender imbalance.
Given the traditional preference for sons, sex-specific abortions occur and female infanticide and the abandoning of baby girls have also been reported.
New slogans which have received the government’s nod of approval include: “Caring for a girl means caring for the future of the nation,” the newspaper said, in an effort to encourage families to raise daughters.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source